"China selects five international projects for historic Mars sample-return mission."
CNSA Announces Global Partners for Tianwen-3
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced the selection of five international cooperation projects for its Tianwen-3 Mars sample-return mission. The announcement was made on April 24, 2025, during the opening ceremony of the 11th Space Day of China in Chengdu.
Mission Overview
Tianwen-3 is part of China's planetary exploration program. It is planned for launch around 2028, with the goal of returning Martian samples to Earth around 2031.
- Spacecraft Composition: The spacecraft comprises a lander, ascent vehicle, service module, orbiter, and return module.
- Current Status: The mission has entered the prototype development phase.
Selection Process
The CNSA issued a call for cooperation proposals in April 2025, offering 20 kilograms of payload resources for international collaboration. A total of 28 applications were received.
The five selected projects were chosen based on criteria of high scientific value, effective mission support, solid engineering feasibility, and high technological maturity.
Selected International Projects
Orbiter Payloads:
- Mars PEX Spectrometer (Committee on Space Research Panel on Exploration): Designed to search for signs of life and study surface minerals.
- Mars Molecular Ion Composition Analyzer (Macau University of Science and Technology): Will study atmospheric escape.
- Laser Heterodyne Spectrometer (Chinese University of Hong Kong): Will measure water isotopes and wind fields.
Service Module Payload:
- Mars Terrestrial Hyperspectral Imaging Spectrometer (University of Hong Kong): Intended to search for signs of life and water-containing minerals, and to map surface resources.
Lander Payload:
- Tianwen Laser Retroreflector Array-3 (National Laboratory of Frascati, Italy): Designed to create precise reference points on the Martian surface.
Other Planetary Exploration Updates
- Tianwen-2: Launched in 2024, is scheduled to arrive at asteroid 2016HO3 in 2025 for sample collection.
- Tianwen-4: Planned to explore the Jovian system, is in development.
- Future Plans: CNSA is demonstrating a second phase of planetary exploration, a near-Earth asteroid defense project, and a mission to the solar system edge.
- Lunar Exploration: The Chang'e-7 lunar probe is planned for launch in the second half of 2026 to explore the lunar south pole for water ice and environment.
- Heavy-Lift Rocket: A heavy-lift rocket is under development to enhance deep space capability.